NATO Press Release (2003)063 11 June 2003 <br /><br /> <br /><br />NATO Secretary General Inaugurates Virtual Silk Highway Project <br />on Wednesday, 11 June 2003<br /><br /> <br /><br />The NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson, and the President of Georgia, Eduard Shevardnadze, inaugurated the Virtual Silk Highway project with a video-conference between NATO Headquarters and Tbilisi, Georgia, on 11 June 2003. <br /><br /> <br /><br />The Virtual Silk Highway, a project launched by the NATO Science Committee in 2002, will improve considerably the Internet connection of the academic communities of the Southern Caucasus and Central Asia. State-of-the-art satellite ground stations and networking equipment will enable scientists from the region to communicate with colleagues all over the world with a fast access to the web. <br /><br /> <br /><br />This inauguration event completes the set-up of the Virtual Silk Highway network.<br /><br /> <br /><br />For further information, please contact Simone de Manso, NATO Press Officer, mobile phone + 32 475 77 77 92.<br /><br /> <br /><br />News and information will routinely be posted on the NATO website.